Pregnant & breastfeeding support thread

[Hulla]

There seem to be a few of us around who are pregnant and nursing so I thought it might be nice to chat, share the highs and the lows and to generally support each other.

Only my LLL friends understand IRL but family and friends either think I'm superwoman or nuts to continue feeding whilst pregnant.

So I am 6+3 with dc2 and still feeding DD who is almost 22 months. I hope to continue feeding DD, no plans to wean but not knowing what the future holds I'm trying to keep an open mind.

I've bought the pregnant-and-nursing-bible "Adventures in tandem feeding" but haven't yet read much.

I've found my nipples to be quite sore but DD has been teething which always seems to increase her desire to nurse and make her latch worse so I can't tell if it's pregnancy related really.

I've done a bit of googling and apparently the full/achey boobs you might have experienced when you were pregnant but not feeding can be delayed if you're breastfeeding (which was a relief to find out as it was a big symptom of pregnancy for me last time).

Also Kellymom says that some mums experience less morning sickness whilst feeding. Fingers crossed that that's true too!

Morning :) I will join in if I may, I am 27 weeks (I think?!) and BF 2.1 yo DD. My nipples have been a bit more sore than normal especially the last few days because DD is also teething.

I hadn't read that about morning sickness, I'm sure it said the opposite in AITF but I have serious baby brain so I may be wrong. I really need to read it again but it may have to wait because I've just started LLL training and I've got lots of reading to do now!

I've had a few surprised reactions along the lines of 'I didn't know you could do that' but no negatives really although this might be down to my slightly delusional perception that everyone thinks I am brilliant

Otherwise, no serious discomfort or complaints from The Management (in fact just yesterday she said 'yum yum' after a marathon BF session).

I also find that plenty of chocolate and cake, or indeed chocolate cake, help to keep my strength up. And I'm taking a good multivitamin.

Hello. I'm about 12wks and BFing DD 12months.

I'm finding it hard going. My supply is decreasing fast and DD is really upset by it, finding it harder and harder to settle at night and refusing cow's milk in a cup and pulling and punching and kicking at my breasts.

I'm exhausted. AITF seems to be written for older toddlers who can have things explained to them.

Ooh, glad this thread has started up again. I am 12 weeks and bf ds who has just turned 2. I only feed him at night before bed now so the sore nipples haven't been too bad.

I really don't know how I feel about tandem feeding... I guess my huge worry is that DS goes from feeding quickly at night before going to sleep to wanting to feed all the time and throwing massive tantrums because the baby is feeding all the time. I only know one woman in RL who is tandem feeding- her baby came along when her eldest was 14m- at that age my DS was feeding loads during the day and I was fine with it... just don't know how I feel about feeding big DS in public now. Sad but true.

So I am trying to wind it down in the evenings, but milkies is still very important to him (and me!)

Funny about the tender breasts coming later, Hula, am definately experiencing that. First time round they were sore and growing very quickly!

I do feel quite sick but again, not as much as with DS... interesting...

BreastmilkDoesAFabLatte it must be tough indeed for your DD and you. My RL tandem friend had similar issues, if I see her I'll ask what she did about the frustration. If I remember correctly she had to use some formula for a while, but her DS was a lot younger (and so couldn't have cows milk). You do hear of older babies/toddlers who just do not seem to mind there being no milk there but obviously your DD is not to be fobbed off!

Hard to know CCF, I suppose, how your DS will respond when the baby comes along. Does he have any understanding of you being pregnant?

Now that several people have mentioned it... yes, by boobs aren't nearly as sore as they were in the first trimester last time. Just as well, really!

I'd be interested to hear any advice your friend might have. DD is unrelentingly determined that her milk must come from my breasts and nowhere else. If I'd known this was going to happened I'd have expressed and expressed and expressed before TTC as she's always been OK with EBM in a bottle (and I used to be able to express 8oz in a sitting). Ah the benefits of hindsight.

Me please! Think I'm 6+1 but our EDDs are a week apart Hulla - different cycle lengths maybe?

Feeding DD who is erm two and a bit (stopped counting now). Nipples sore but manageable. Morning sickness kicked in yesterday so haven't noticed any benefit from bfing there (DD still feeding quite a lot as well). Boobs aren't sore but don't remember them being bad last time either. Haven't grown yet either, which is a bit annoying as I was looking forward to refilling my nursing bras, which are all too big now but I'm too broke to replace!

Haven't told any of our family yet so not sure how they're going to react to bfing while pg/tandem feeding if it comes to that - expecting scepticism from my side I am secretly delighted to have proved my mum wrong by getting pg while bfing though (even if it did take rather longer than planned).

Hello, sorry I didn't come back, I feel dreadful and we're waiting for broadband to be installed so posting from my phone which is a pain.

Breastmilk that sounds really hard. I won't be able to explain the drop in milk to dd but she doesn't always seem fussed for it now so I'm thinking it'll be easier than if she was younger.

Today has been hard, feeding is annoying me. Mainly because I'm tired and nauseous. I've had a bit of a how-the-hell-will-I-manage-with-2? day today.

ItIsILeClerc I wonder how that's happened...I used an fertility friend calculator from my ovulation date

Ah, I can't use it because I'm not a VIP member. Pah. Just tried a few different calculators and my EDD varies by 4 days depending which one I use, plus a couple put me back to 5+6 but I'm having none of that, will just count from LMP I think

Hope you're feeling better soon btw I panic about having two, but then most people seem to cope ... Though despite wanting this pgy for ages and working damn hard for it, I still find myself panicking and thinking "Oh god, what have we done?" from time to time.

Hello can I join?!

I am 14wks, almost 15, and still feeding DD who is almost 3. Thankfully she is down to feeding only in the morning and at night, but I just don't seem to have any milk left.

She doesn't know I'm pregnant and I'm wary of linking the lack of milk to a new baby, I don't want to turn her against the baby before it's born!!

It definitely did not help the morning sickness though, bleeeeeeee!

Nice to meet you I am at that stage of pregnancy where you are irrationally jealous of people who are out of the first trimester Your DD probably won't make the connection between pg/lack of milk so hopefully won't put her off the new one! Are you planning to tandem feed? I was hoping DD would wean during pregnancy but I now realise that that was partly because I was keen to wean to get pg, so I'm more relaxed about it now. Will wait and see what happens, though I can't imagine DD gving up any time soon. I have a friend with a 5 mo baby we see sometimes and it always inspires DD to try to keep pace with her baby's feeds!

I feel only just out of it, honest! And still sick so it doesn't seem to make much difference!

Not sure re tandem feeding I am feeling quite relaxed about either scenario! A few months ago I couldn't have imagined her feeding only twice a day, now some days go by and she doesn't feed at all. Yesterday I realised she hadn't fed at all for a day or so and had a sad moment thinking oh that is it all over! She has since gone back to it with a vengeance!

I read somewhere that having a feeding toddler is great relief from engorgement etc when your milk comes in so that might be a bonus?!

I've read that, also that it helps with jealousy issues :)

I do remember feeling very cheated that my MS went on until 16 weeks last time, when everyone promised I'd feel great at 12

Yes, BF definately not helping with the MS here... if anything, it's worse. This time I've been counting the hours until 12 weeks telling myself it would stop then, and it hasn't. Ah well...

Oooh, can I join? Tandem fed DD1 and DD2 now 12+3 pg with DC4 and DS is only 10 months. Still feel horribly sick though :(

I think that half way through my 2nd pg my milk was in short supply, but DD1 liked suckling so carried on. And yes, it was very handy with engorgement in the early days with 2.

I shall be gutted if DS decides to quit the boob before his little brother/sister comes along. My DDs were so cute when I sat in the middle of the sofa and they fed together. I found that the older one didn't want to feed as much as the baby - too much else to do when you're a toddler!

Welcome Motherofsnortpigs so you found tandem feeding quite positive then? That's good to hear.

DD has taken to holdin my boob in both hands and squeezing when she feeds now. She can do it in her sleep. I am shattered today, DH came to bed at 2am, woke DD and from then until 7am she just wanted milk.

I am working on her latch at the moment. I've taken to saying "big mouth, gentle teeth" everytime she feede which seems to be working. DH sniggered at me yesterday when I said it, he reckons it sounds like my native American name

Hulla had to laugh at your Native American name...

motherofsnortpigs glad to hear of positive experiences of tandem feeding. I was pretty astonished to get a very positive response to still feeding/maybe tandem feeding from my midwife at my first appointment. Which was nice!

DS is only latching on for about a minute now at night before requesting he have his teeth brushed and go to sleep, but when asked if he would just go straight to teeth and skip milkies he gets very worried and upset looking, which is horrible! I don't know how I feel- I want him to stop in some ways and feel distraught at the prospect in others.

Hiya - can I join? DS is 2.1yo and loves his boogoo, though only has one evening feed. I'm only 6+4 I think. Am shattered and trying to get as much kip as I can. Nipples have started to get very tender and have been trying to distract myself during feeds. And my nausea seems to be mostly in early evening when feeding DS - have just started having a snack just before I feed him in case it's hobnob withdrawal low blood sugar.

Some mums I know in RL are v confused as to why I'm keeping going. Aside from the fact that DS loves it and it being good for him, part of the reason is I had to give DS formula in the first 24 hours to stabilise his blood sugars as I had gestational diabetes. Am hoping to avoid that this time if I can express & freeze some milk before the little one arrives and can give that instead.

Congrats GruffaloMama :)

I've read that hand expression is best for antenatal expression but I've never tried it myself. I found this which might be useful and LLL do a good leaflet about it but it's not available online. Is there a group near you?

I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised at the reactions I've got about BF during pregnancy, most people are just curious and ask lots of questions. I did have to explain to my MW the other day about how the milk will be tailored to the newborn's needs and not DD's but I suppose that MWs don't often come across pregnant women who are BF toddlers.

Speaking of milk, I think my colostrum is well and truly here, DD is getting quite chunky and feels heavy although I don't know if that's because I am too knackered to pick her up now.

EauRouge that's a brill link - thanks. Am going to look into local LLL options. I do know a mum who's training as an NCT BF counsellor so am sure she'll know about local interest/support groups too.

How is everyone else doing? DD didn't BF much over Christmas, I think she was too distracted but she's back to feeding 5 billion times a day now.

Is anyone else getting really bad BH while they BF? I get them almost every time now and sometimes it's really uncomfortable.

Ooh how far on are you eaurouge? I am 20wks now and Dd has really cut back, although I have to say I am encouraging her tbh as it really bloody hurts now!

I'm 32 weeks now, on the home stretch. The rate DD is going I can't see her weaning before she starts school but we'll play it by ear!

Dd wanted to feed before bed tonight ow ow ow! Funnily enough reminded me of initial pain when she was a newborn. Am v jealous of you being on the home stretch!

How's everyone else doing? I'm 37 weeks now and my nipples are pretty sore but mainly I'm panicking because I'm so knackered and I don't know how I'm going to cope feeding a newborn and a boob-mad toddler